How do I compare database schemas in Jam SQL Studio?

Open Tools > Schema Compare, select your source and target connections, choose the databases to compare, and click Compare. The tool analyzes both schemas and shows a tree view of all differences organized by object type.

Can I compare schemas across different SQL Server instances?

Yes, Jam SQL Studio's schema compare supports cross-connection comparisons. You can compare a development database on your local machine against a staging or production database on a different server.

What database objects does schema compare support?

Schema compare supports tables, views, stored procedures, functions, triggers, indexes, constraints, schemas, and user-defined types. You can filter which object types to include in the comparison.

How do I generate a synchronization script?

After comparing, review the differences and uncheck any objects you want to exclude. Click Generate Script to create ALTER/CREATE/DROP statements wrapped in a transaction. Preview the script before executing or saving it.

Is it safe to apply schema changes directly?

Jam SQL Studio generates scripts with transaction wrapping and includes safety comments. Always backup your target database before applying changes, review the generated DDL carefully, and test in a staging environment first.

Last updated: 2026-02-12

Schema Compare

Compare database schemas across SQL Server connections to identify structural differences. View changes to tables, views, stored procedures, and other objects. Generate DDL scripts to synchronize schemas between environments.

Getting Started

Schema Compare helps you understand the differences between two database schemas. Whether you're comparing development to production, or verifying a deployment, this tool shows exactly what has changed.

How to Start a Schema Comparison

Open Jam SQL Studio and connect to both source and target databases
Click Tools > Schema Compare from the main menu
Select the source connection and database from the dropdown
Select the target connection and database
Click Compare to analyze the differences

The Schema Compare interface showing source and target database selection with comparison results — The Schema Compare interface showing source and target database selection.

Personal Mode Limits

Schema Compare is available in both Personal and Pro modes, with different limits:

Personal mode - Full comparisons are available when both schemas have 200 objects or fewer (tables + views + procedures + functions). Larger schemas require Pro.
Pro mode - No schema-size limits.

Understanding the Results

After the comparison completes, you'll see a tree view of all database objects organized by type. Each object is color-coded to indicate its status:

Added - Object exists only in source (will be created in target)

Modified - Object exists in both but differs (will be altered)

Deleted - Object exists only in target (will be dropped)

Viewing Object Details

Click on any object in the results to see a side-by-side diff view showing exactly what has changed. The diff highlights additions in green and deletions in red.

Generating Synchronization Scripts

Once you've reviewed the differences, you can generate a DDL script to synchronize the target database with the source schema.

Steps to Generate a Script

Review the comparison results and uncheck any objects you don't want to include
Click Generate Script to preview the synchronization script
Review the generated DDL statements in the preview pane
Click Apply to execute the script directly, or Save to export it

Schema Compare script preview showing generated ALTER TABLE and CREATE INDEX statements with syntax highlighting — The script preview showing generated ALTER and CREATE statements ready for review.

Key Capabilities

Full schema support - Compare tables, views, stored procedures, functions, triggers, indexes, and constraints
Visual diff - Side-by-side view with syntax highlighting shows exactly what changed
Selective sync - Choose specific objects to include or exclude from the synchronization
Safe script generation - Preview the DDL before executing with transaction wrapping
Cross-connection support - Compare schemas across different SQL Server instances

Best Practices

Always backup your target database before applying schema changes
Review carefully - Check the generated script for potentially destructive changes
Test in staging before applying changes to production
Use source control - Save generated scripts for audit trails

Ready to Compare Schemas?

Download Jam SQL Studio and start comparing your database schemas today.

Download Now Compare with ADS